missing hiker - Lancaster, NH

[Zer0-G]

Here is the crux at the heart of the matter: "experience is something you don't get until after you need it, that's the problem." - Joe Simpson

 

[DougPaul]

Non-GPS PLBs require a time period to determine the location. (The satellite has to observe the signal from a range of viewpoints to determine the location and it takes a while for the satellite to move far enough across the sky.) It is best if the PLB stays stationary during this period--moving makes the task harder. Weather conditions can also affect the 406 MHz signal in ways that degrade the location determination.

She was also in a notch which could have two effects:
* a portion of the sky was blocked
* reflections off terrain (multipath) can add confusing variations to the signal.


Given the difficulty in obtaining a PLB location, it would appear that her PLB did not contain a GPS (or it was not working).

Another open question is whether the SAR personnel had a 121.5 MHz (homing frequency) receiver.

There is more detailed info on PLBs/EPIRBs/ELTs at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_radiobeacon

Doug

 

[DayTrip]

One thing you can do is write the important bearings on a piece of tape stuck to the bottom of your compass. Presumably, if hung around your neck, or otherwise attached to your person, it won't actually blow away.

Tim

I usually get a condescending grin from people I've met on the trail when I produce my map with lines drawn and compass bearings from various key points. Always do this when I go above treeline, all seasons. Have never used them to date but on that one day in 1,000 where I need it I'm damn sure going to make sure I have it. Just the simple exercise of reviewing the map, making notes and markings, etc helps burn a impression in my head. I almost never pull out my map when I am on the trail unless I decide to take an alternate trail, compare my actual time against my projections, etc.

A lot of the success of a good safe hike is done well before the trail head.

 

[DayTrip]

I'm a member of a Facebook page and not to sound egotistacal, there is alot of posters who talk way above thier game. When someone says there are people who can climb in those conditions that is a dead give away they no nothing of what they speak. I've thought about this tradgedy and my take is that she was climbing on the edge of the limits of what was possible, but failed to notice when that bar was raised to unacceptable, that fine line, once crossed sometimes cannot be recrossed. I would guess the winds and wind chill just overtook her, at that point even hunkering down is no good. The only way I see out was to dig in and get out of the wind, but given the conditions you would need a good sleeping bag for that as well. Not to mention that snow up there can get bulletproof and impossible to dig in without a really good shovel or saw. Not to mention the blowing snow causing whiteout conditions, where up and down can be hard to figure out. One poster on FB even said, why didnt she just read her map, dead give away that he has never been there, map reading in 100 mph winds, yeah ok. I had all my bearings in my head for my Presi traverses just in case.

Your comments were sparce on FB on these topics Randy! Could have used another voice of reason in the mix. But I get why you would avoid the fray. There was some serious nonsense going on in there.

 

[JCarter]

Another open question is whether the SAR personnel had a 121.5 MHz (homing frequency) receiver.

I was wondering that same thing. PLBs are supposed to transmit for a minimum of 24 hours, and once rescuers are on the ground, the homing receiver is how they find it, not the position reported by the satellite tracking. If it was activated at 3:30PM Sunday, it should have still been transmitting when she was eventually found.

 

[DougPaul]

I was wondering that same thing. PLBs are supposed to transmit for a minimum of 24 hours, and once rescuers are on the ground, the homing receiver is how they find it, not the position reported by the satellite tracking. If it was activated at 3:30PM Sunday, it should have still been transmitting when she was eventually found.

AFAIK the public reports have made no mention about homing in (or not) on the 121.5 MHz signal. Agreed that it should have still been transmitting. (However, our conjecture that it should have been doesn't guarantee that it was.)

Doug

 

[Peakbagr]

"Many compasses are designed with a clear base so that you can read the map through it. Obviously tape on the bottom would block the map. (You can probably do most of the required operations with the edge of the base.)
Also a compass hung around your neck, while hard to lose, may whip your face in high winds if it is outside your clothing so keep it in a pocket (while still on the neck cord) or inside your clothing when not actually in your hand.
Maps can also shred or blow away in high winds. I prefold mine and store them inside zip-closure plastic bags to weather proof them. As a defense against losing one, I carry several copies. A GPS with trail tracks and/or critical waypoints serves as yet another backup (as well as a primary navigation tool). The GPS is also less prone to blowing away."

While I carry a couple of maps in ziplocks, I've used bailout bearings taped to the back of my compasses for years in terrible conditions above- treeline . I've never had the compass whip out of my hands and I haven't had to take my gloves off to fish into my closed pockets to find a map that soon will be flying in the wind. In the kind of conditions described, it's more likely the heavy mitts will go flying than the compass bumps you in the nose. In these conditions, you're looking to escape with the compass bearings, not study the map in the storm.

 

[1SlowHiker]

Back on topic; I came across this blog on the Trails NH site while looking for trail status. Worth a read I think.

http://nealpinestart.com/2015/02/18/a-young-climber-perishes-on-mt-adams/

 

[peakbagger]

While looking at various forums I have seen some divergence on the level of equipment the hiker had.

A NH F&G representative had stated in the union leader article http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150216/NEWS07/150219365 "Saunders said Matrosova was "properly equipped for what she planned," which was a day hike traversing several of the peaks. Matrosova "had down clothing and wind guards," said Saunders, "and on a nice day she would have been fine." -

While Rick Wilcox stated in the Conway Daily Sun article http://www.conwaydailysun.com/newsx...-woman-s-climbing-death-monday-offers-lessons

"He said that Matrosova was not equipped with snowshoes but was able to climb up the Valley Way Trail by following a path packed down by snowshoeing climbers two days before.

He said Matrosova apparently thought she could do the same coming down the Ammonoosuc Trail down Mount Washington."

This is a fundamental mismatch and I expect it would change many opinions on how well equipped the hiker was. If the hiker in fact attempted to bareboot up valley way with no snowshoes, given the snow conditions, the timetable would be far different than if showshoes were used.

 

[Peakbagr]

"My point is that you shouldn't compromise the function of your compass by putting tape on it in an inappropriate place. (The Ranger could take tape on top of the mirror cover, but only a fool would put tape on the bottom.)"

I have two Rangers but that's beside the point. Your comments about fishing out a map in bad conditions reads like something out of an old boy scout manual.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Should the monitors perhaps break out the PLB and compass discussion to a new thread. Somehow it just seems a bit disrespectful. JMHO

I don't find it at all disrespectful. If there is anything that is disrespectful, it is publicly hypothesizing on things we know nothing about (the exact circumstances surrounding this incident) and/or disparaging Kate in the process. I don't think that line has been crossed on VFTT.

The only thing we can really discuss to any real end is ways we know to deal with the conditions on the day of the incident. These range from "staying home" to PLB, compass, etc.

Tim

 

[Peakbagr]

What Tim said.

 

[una_dogger]

Well said.

I am so sorry to hear this woman has died. I knew the situation was grim as soon as I read the initial missing person reports. I feel terrible for those she left behind, especially her husband, who I'm sure will go to his grave second guessing his actions from Sunday morning. We'll probably never know the content of their final conversations. I suspect neither of them knew the true nature of the conditions she was heading into.

From the small amount of information available, I gather she was an adventurous spirit. This is an attractive quality, one that I'm sure made her one heck of an interesting person to know. It's worth mulling over the fact that her husband chose not to join her on the hike, but rather to pick her up at the end. It's a unique woman who would strike off on her own on such an itinerary, however flawed it may have been from the outset. Whatever mistakes she made, and there were probably several, I for one can appreciate individuals in the world who, whether ignorant or not, act on their sense of adventure. Almost no one sets out to freeze to death in a terrifying, lonely place by themselves. I'm terribly sorry to hear that's how she met her end, and I'm sorry for the folks who have to grapple with the hole she has undoubtedly left behind. I'm thankful to and sorry for the SAR folks who set out in horrific conditions and ultimately had the task of recovering a body. I suspect when one returns to safety, and the adrenaline wears off and the mission-focus subsides, the reality of the situation is heart-wrenching.

There may be something to learn from the details of her final hours, but probably not. The story is tragic and familiar: the mountains give a lot, and sometimes they take a lot. But actually they do neither; they just are and we make our own choices.

 

[una_dogger]

we're the best

Amen to that. Posts that are interactive and searchable so the information contained in them
is preserved, and the sense of Community keeps us all
Somewhat accountable for the advice we give.

 

[sierra]

Your comments were sparce on FB on these topics Randy! Could have used another voice of reason in the mix. But I get why you would avoid the fray. There was some serious nonsense going on in there.

I try to avoid being in the middle of a discussion that has little overall value and a more condescending nature to it, as FB tends to be. At least on this site, while I have had minor disagreements, I feel its more of an information and fact based discussion group. I also feel like the level of experience here is way above FB to say the least and would consider the users here more my peer group.

 

[peakbagger]

Its thanks to our moderators that it usually stays that way .

Occasionally things can get out of hand but with some gentle guidance on occasion folks tend to behave better. Either that or the folks that misbehave find other outlets like facebook.

 

[sierra]

Its thanks to our moderators that it usually stays that way .

Occasionally things can get out of hand but with some gentle guidance on occasion folks tend to behave better. Either that or the folks that misbehave find other outlets like facebook.

Another distinction is at least here when we disagree there is still an exchange of valuable information, on FB it turns into a useless playground fight. AS far as FB, In the words of the late Lou Albano, "I'm a giant surrounded by mental midgets"

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Its thanks to our moderators that it usually stays that way .

Occasionally things can get out of hand but with some gentle guidance on occasion folks tend to behave better. Either that or the folks that misbehave find other outlets like facebook.

I agree. I would also thank all who have commented on this site. The close to 100 comments have been generally sensitive, non judgmental and often very informative. I thank all on this site who have offered these well reasoned and well informed comments. The nearly 15,000 views indicate a tremendous interest in what happened which I don't believe is simply morbid curiosity. Many of us have been reading to learn, to ask ourselves what we could or would do in similar circumstances both at the treeline and beyond. Most, if not all of us, have encountered conditions that forced a turn back and some have even been stranded overnight and thankfully made it out. Anything we learn through this tragic incident can be a help when we encounter difficult circumstances in the future. We are left with many questions. I think the one item that might answer some questions is the GPS which I understand she had with her. If she had it on the whole time it might answer some of the open questions concerning her whereabouts after she reached the treeline. Along with others I send my condolences to her family.

 

[GBKDalton]

Thank you to everyone for you informative and objective discussion of this subject. I really appreciate being able to come here and learn from everyone's experience, people who actually have an inkling of what it would be like to hike in these conditions and the experience to do so (and to not be afraid to turn around).

 

[ChrisB]

Most, if not all of us, have encountered conditions that forced a turn back and some have even been stranded overnight and thankfully made it out. Anything we learn through this tragic incident can be a help when we encounter difficult circumstances in the future. We are left with many questions.

There is one clear lesson I take way from this sad situation:

Carrying a device such as a PLB, cell phone, GPS, etc. provides NO guarantee of survival. While it might allow you to raise the alarm quickly when things go awry, you must know how to stay alive until someone responds and comes to help you.

To that end, I believe a solo winter day-hiker must be equipped to survive a night out, regardless of where in the range s/he is hiking or what the weather forecast is.

A broken snowshoe, twisted ankle, bad knee, wrong turn, unbroken trail, slower than expected pace. It can happen to any of us.

I hope we all have an answer for the question --- What then?